The Rookie
by paulinemcc
Summary: When everyone thinks that they know you, can you really be anyone different? As a Peck she's expected to graduate top of her class at the Academy and slot right in at the city's top division. So when her classmates assume she was handed her badge on day one of training, what will it take to prove herself.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Don't own. Sad face. Not for profit. Double sad face :(

**The Rookie**

**Part 1**

The bar was in a sombre mood, had been for the past week. One look across the crowded tables Gail spotted Luke Callaghan sitting on his own nursing a bottle of scotch that he seemed in the middle of finishing all by himself.

"Shouldn't someone at least go take the bottle away?" She whispered to her brother as she sat with him and a few other detectives from 15 Division. The Black Penny was 15 Division's bar and while all cops were generally welcome, you often stuck to your own local as all the divisions were very competitive with each other and this was especially true between 15 and 27 whose areas of patrol overlapped by a few blocks.

"Hm?" Steve asked, only half paying attention to his sister as he was caught up in talking to his partner about a new lead on their recent case. Finally he turned his head to the blonde sat next to him. "What?"

Gail scowled at her brother for a moment then pointed a finger across the bar. "Alcohol poisoning, aren't you supposed to be a concerned friend, or colleague?" She asked. She wasn't sure her brother had many friends besides a few of the people he went through the Academy with, but even then she doubts they saw much of each other. Everything to Steve was work related.

Steve swallowed some of his beer and as he lowered his glass he subtly glanced the way Gail was pointing at the same time knocking her hand down to stop her. That was when he saw Luke. He sighed and finished off his drink. "Want a refill?" He asked Gail as he stood.

Gail shook her head, she'd only had two but she was due back at the Academy by midnight and with 6:30am drills she was about done for the night.

The shaking of her head put a grin on Steve's face as he realised this was going to be a cheap round for him.

Gail rolled her eyes as she watched him head over to the bar. As she was watching him try out something with the barmaid she noticed a group enter rather cautiously and hover about the doorway. It peeked her interest for a few moments until she recognised a few of the faces.

"Great, that's all I need." She muttered to herself as she slid lower in her seat in the hopes of not being seen.

"What?"

"Hm?" Gail turned her head and saw Callum Jones, one of the other detectives in her brother's narcotics section at 15 Division. He was a few years older than Steve but very easy going considering the work he was involved in. She gave him an unhappy look and gestured towards the entrance of the bar where the crowd still stood obviously unsure of themselves.

Callum chuckled. "Fresh meat." He said as he slapped at Gail's shoulder and got up to go introduce himself to the three or four females he could see.

Gail gave him a disgusted look but he was already halfway over to them.

"What's that look for?" Steve asked as he sat back down, placing his drink down and then tucking what looked like a napkin into his jacket pocket.

Ew. That was it. Between her brother flirting with the barmaid and the new arrivals she was over it.

She got up and shrugged on her jacket.

"You heading out?" Steve asked as he too suddenly noticed the group Callum was showing over to a nearby free table.

"Yeah." She replied as if it wasn't apparently obvious.

Steve never took his eyes off the group. "Know them?" He asked.

Gail sighed and glanced over as well. She shook her head as she noticed Jerry Barber had joined them as well. "My class." She muttered with reluctance not really wanting any association with the other recruits.

Steve smirked and took a sip of his drink. "So you didn't invite them then?"

Gail snorted. No how, no way would she have told any of her class about this place. It had been her sanctuary for a few years now and she was known to all the regulars, either because she was a Peck or because she was Steve's sister.

And now it looked like she would have to learn to share the place.

Steve gave her a look. "15's new recruits are going to be here all the time you know." He warned her. He knew she wasn't the most sociable of people, neither was he really, but she was going to have to learn to deal with her colleagues. "You get that you'll be working with some of them the whole time you're a rookie, right?"

Gail almost pouted but she turned it into a glare. "Don't remind me." She grumbled at him.

Steve chuckled as Gail took off. He watched her say something to Harry behind the bar but then pointedly ignored the group as she passed by them towards the bar entrance and disappeared out of sight.

xxxxx

Gail took in a deep breath once she was free from the sweat and heat of the bar. She pulled her leather jacket around her a little more to combat the wind that had picked up in speed since her arrival a few hours ago.

As she stood there contemplating stopping at a convenience store for some supplies before returning to the Police Academy, located a few mile outside of Toronto where there was a shortage of bars and stores nearby, she heard a few different giggles.

Looking towards the area of the noise Gail spotted a group of maybe seven people, most of whom were women, heading in her direction.

Or well, in the direction of the Penny entrance if you wanted to get technical about it.

When they were about 15 feet away Gail could see each face clearly and what confused her was that although this group was heading for a cop bar, she didn't recognise a single face.

Puzzled she moved slowly towards her car, zipping up her jacket as a light rain started.

As she passed by the small crowd they were so caught up in their laughing that one woman failed to see her and knocked right into Gail.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The woman said, a wide smile still adorning her features as she wiped her hand over her glasses to clear a few rain spots.

Gail automatically stopped as the woman in front of her did. She wasn't sure why though, they were both clearly headed in opposite directions. The woman could have said sorry as she kept on walking, like the rest of her friends did.

Gail glanced behind her just in time to see the door she had so recently left from close behind the rest of the group. She turned back around and gave the brunette a questioning look.

"Holly." The woman said with a grin as she held her hand out to Gail.

Not sure what to think Gail's hand moved of its own accord and suddenly they were shaking hands.

Holly chuckled at the blonde. "And you are?"

"On my way to my car." Gail replied but that only earned her an amused look from the slightly taller woman. She frowned and took her hand back to point to her Mustang. "Behind you."

Holly smirked, this blonde certainly had an attitude about her. She was confident and sure of herself. Holly liked it. "Are you a cop?"

Gail narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Chuckling it was Holly's turn to point. "The Black Penny? It's a cop bar."

Gail made a show of glancing back towards the neon sign above the door of the bar. "And you just assumed?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

Holly was enjoying this. "Well, you do look a bit young." She teased the blonde.

Gail stiffened. She was actually a year or two older than her classmates having taken some time out after College before resigning herself to her fate. Something her mother never let her forget.

Holly's smile faded as she noticed the subtle change in the woman's demeanour. She guessed she'd just hit a nerve.

Gail saw the contrite look on Holly's face and tried her best to let her reaction to the previous comment fade. "I'm not a cop." She replied softly as she shifted her weight on her feet wondering why she was still stood here and hadn't already brushed this woman off and left by now.

Holly frowned. Her teasing aside, she would have put money on the blonde being a police officer. She did look a bit young, definitely too young to be a detective, but she had the look of a police officer, or maybe Holly was just spending too much time at work lately.

"Sorry." She said to the blonde with a small shake of her head. She really did need to get out of her lab more often. "I never meant anything by it, I work with the police force."

Gail gave the woman a once over. She didn't think she was a cop herself, not when she said she worked _with_ the police. So maybe a lawyer, although why someone with that type of job and wage packet would come to the Penny Gail would never know, so then maybe a social worker or a therapist.

"What?" Holly asked as the blonde continued to study her.

"You're not a cop."

Holly chuckled. "I didn't say that I was."

"Or a lawyer."

Holly paused, thinking that over as the blonde waited. "I'm not sure whether or not to be insulted by that." She replied.

Gail shrugged. Lawyers weren't generally her favourite kind of people. Not when they often worked on the criminals behalf.

"But you're right, I'm not a lawyer." Holly admitted.

Gail nodded.

Just then the door to the Penny reopened and a blast of music filled the air. It made Gail wonder if someone had convinced Harry to pull out the karaoke machine out from the back room.

Which made her decision to leave when she did the right one.

"Hey Stewart! " A male voice called as a head appeared around the open door. "Stop flirting and just get her number, we've got Annie up on stage!" He informed Holly with a laugh before he returned inside out of the still falling rain.

Holly shifted nervously now that Scott had all but outed her as a lesbian in front of this stranger.

"Sorry about that, this is our third bar tonight." Holly attempted to explain although she couldn't quite meet the blonde's eyes.

Gail sighed. She really did have to get going. "Well don't let me keep you."

Holly hesitated as the blonde started walking away. She didn't know this woman and she should probably be inside out of the rain already but…

"Hey!" She called out just as the blonde was opening a car door. "I still didn't get your name."

Gail chuckled and called back, "Because I didn't give it!"

Holly shook her head and stood there watching as the younger woman got into the car and slowly drove off the lot. "Damn." She muttered as the tail lights faded from view.

"And now I'm stood out here in the rain talking to myself." She said aloud before turning on her heel and heading for the bar.

Once inside she pulled her coat off and shook the rain from her hair as she glanced around before spotting her colleagues and friends around a high table. Scott was right, Annie was up on stage signing very off key to Abba.

Which was being filmed by her other friend Thomas on his cell phone.

She snorted thinking it would be emailed to the whole of the lab by the end of the night. Well it was Annie's night. She'd live through the shame. Eventually.

"Why didn't any of you stop her?" She asked as she took an empty seat.

The group shared knowing looks before they let out a few laughs at the idea. The only person that could have stopped Annie had been the only one of them not around. The rest of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves with the entertainment being provided.

"Why don't you go next Hol?" Kelly asked with a sly grin as she watched her best friend blush.

Holly scowled at the rest of the table.

"Yeah, Hol, how better to get the interest of all the lady cops in here?" Tim offered as incentive but what he got was a blast of thrown peanuts from the three women seated around him that he had to fend off. "Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion." He said as he admitted defeat.

"Hey, guess what?" Scott said to the group as he placed a tray of drinks down on the table and started handing them out. "The barman just gave us these on the house." He said pleased with not having to pay this round.

"What?" Holly asked.

There had to be close to sixty dollars worth of drinks and shots, bars didn't just give that away.

Scott shrugged as he took his seat and to watch Annie as she started another song. He laughed as he saw her playing up to Thomas and his phone. He wondered if she knew she'd regret that by morning.

"Scott?"

Scott drank down his beer and gave Holly a look. She had her eyebrow up. That meant she wasn't happy. He frowned and shrugged again. "Yeah, seriously Hols, it's not like I stole them." He told her then went back to watching their very drunk friend making a fool of herself.

Holly eyed the rest of her friends. But they all seemed perfectly happy with the free drinks. She however felt uneasy. With a sigh she stood up and wandered over to the bar, it didn't take long for the barman to come over to see what he could do for her.

Holly pointed to her table. "Who paid for those drinks?" She asked him.

Harry chuckled and eyed the woman. "You Holly? Yeah, I bet you are." He said as he grinned at her. "She said not to give you her name so, sorry but I can't help you."

Holly felt a ridiculous grin take over her face. Must have been the alcohol. "She?" There was only one woman she'd spoken to. "A blonde?"

Harry laughed. "Yup."

So it was the blonde from outside. She had bought Holly and her friends a round of drinks? But she wouldn't even tell Holly her name. She sighed heavily and looked at the barman.

Harry started walking away from the brunette. "Pissing her off would be more than my life's worth. But she did say that she might see you around and that you owe her a drink."

And with that he went over to serve another customer.

Holly grinned and tapped her hand on the bar top happily. If she owed the blonde a drink she'd have to find her somehow to collect.

She smiled to herself thinking that little scene outside might not be the last she sees of the woman.

Pleased she turns to go back over and join her friends only to walk right into someone. "Sorry." She said as she takes a step back out of the person's space.

"Hey hold on." The guy says, stopping her with a hand on her arm. "I'm Nick, and that was probably my fault. Tell you what, why don't I buy you a drink?" He said with a wide grin showing off his very white teeth.

Holly pushed her glasses back into position and glanced over Nick's shoulder to her friends and shot Kelly a pleading look. She then turned her attention back to the expectant look she was getting.

"So, what can I get you?" Nick says as he leans against the bar, subtly taking in the woman beside him as he tried to wave over the barmaid.

"That's okay, I'm fine."

"Please, I insist." Nick says, laying his hand on her arm briefly as he looked her in the eyes.

Just before Holly could worm her way out of the situation, Kelly came over and slung her arm around her shoulder and planted a kiss to her cheek. "Hey babe, what's keeping you, I'm getting lonely over there." She said with a pout.

Holly had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as Nick's jaw literally dropped, luckily Kelly pulled her away before the first giggles broke free and by the time they'd made it to their table, with Kelly's arm still around her, they were both laughing like idiots.

"What?" Scott asked as he eyed the pair wondering what the joke was.

Kelly shook her head, reaching for her drink. "Oh, just the usual, saving Holly from the horror of boys."

"Oh."

Holly narrowed her eyes at Kelly and slapped the back of her hand against her arm as she started laughing again. "I'm not_ that_ bad." She defended herself.

Scott snorted, nearly choking on his mouthful of beer. "Yes you are." He refuted. "For a lesbian you sure do attract a lot of male attention." He pointed out to her.

Holly pouted. That wasn't her fault.

And besides, she thought as she picked up her free drink, the blonde from earlier was definitely all female.

"Hey, don't look now but that Boy Scout is headed over." Kelly muttered as she leaned into Holly. "Want me to kiss you?" She teased.

Holly swatted at Kelly just as Nick paused beside her and placed down a beer. She looked at the drink and then at Nick, flicking her eyebrow up for him to explain.

Nick cleared his throat wondering if he was making a bigger ass of himself. "Just to say sorry. About before, I didn't know you were…uh…that," He glanced at the woman beside the brunette nervously. "You were with someone." He managed to finish feeling rather proud of himself.

"Kid, are you even old enough to be in here?" Scott asked with a frown, not happy that his friend was being pestered when both Holly and Kelly had made it pretty obvious he didn't stand a chance with Holly.

Nick kept his smile in place and apologised to Holly again before leaving and walking back to his own table that broke out into laughter after a few seconds.

Holly glanced at the group unsure what to make of the laughing. She shook her head and let it go as Kelly suddenly got up and went over to the stage, which was when she heard the start of a Spice Girls song.

As a collective, Holly and the rest of her friends at the table groaned.

"This is so bad." Holly muttered but she grinned and kept watching, and Thomas kept filming. Kelly looked like she was enjoying herself though and it was all in good fun. Not that Holly had any intension of getting up there.

She looked at the drink that had been left for her and then at the one in her grip. The one the blonde from outside had bought for her. She grinned to herself and slides the full beer over to Scott.

"It's got boy cooties on it." She told her friend as he gave her a questioning look.

Scott grinned and took it. "I like boy cooties."

Holly laughed and gave him a nod. "Maybe you should go tell Nick that. He's got a better chance with you than he ever did with me."

Scott eyed the boy at the other table. "I do like a man in uniform." He agreed before shaking his head to dismiss the idea. "But I prefer it when they don't have to call their parents to ask if they can stay out late."

Holly let out a laugh.

"Plus, Mike's about all I can handle." Scott continued mentioning his boyfriend of five years who would be waiting at home for him later. Deciding that Annie and Kelly weren't going to have all the fun he stood up and finished off his drink then gestured for Holly to do the same.

Hesitant about why Scott wanted her up, Holly swallowed the rest of her beer and took the hand that was offered to her. And then she was being pulled over to the stage.

"No, no, no." But it was too late and both Kelly and Annie had their hands on her dragging her up with them as Scott went over to the machine and suddenly the start of YMCA started pouring out of the speaker.

"We're in a cop bar!" She hissed at her friend as he joined them and got into position.

Scott rolled his eyes. What were they going to do, arrest them for having a bit of fun?

Thomas howled and cheered from his position in front of them and then Holly grinned and just went with it.

It was going to be one of those nights.

xxxxxx

**AN/**

So this was going to be posted after I finished GNO but it's been sitting on my computer for a couple of weeks now and if I don't start posting what I have I'm going to end up going back and changing a lot of the plot so… here you go.

I have a couple of more chapters of this finished but I might make you guys wait.

I can be cruel like that. Go me :D

Thanks for reading!

**ETA/**

Thanks guest number 2, I thought this was already tagged!


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Gail concentrated on her breathing as she pushed herself past the fatigue and burning she could feel in her legs. She was in shorts and a vest top running as fast as she could along the trail that would lead her back to the Academy base and the fresh shower she would need to rid herself of all the muck she'd collected on her morning adventure.

As she ran out of the forest she saw the group of buildings more than a mile away and slowed her pace as the ground beneath her feet changed from soil to tarmac. The last thing she needed was a knee injury that would stop her from graduating on time.

Her mother would never forgive her if that happened. She'd probably be disowned and shunned from everyone in her family.

She's not sure if that would altogether be a bad thing. Or that much different than the way things were right now with her family. Steve was okay most of the time but even he made his comments about how she'd fair when in uniform. When he wouldn't be there to watch her back for her.

Like she needed looking after.

It almost made her wonder what falling right now would mean for her, if she just planted her foot down the wrong way she'd end up with a twisted ankle. She wouldn't be able to participate in her final physical in a few days. They'd have to hold her back to graduate with the next class.

Which would be in seven months. Oh, her mom would love that.

But that would mean she wouldn't have to work with any of the morons in her current class. So that was a point for self-injury, but just the thought of the lecture she would receive and the looks of disappointment from both her parents and then the teasing from her brother…

"Ugh." Gail rolled her eyes and pushed her speed for the last hundred meters as she dismissed the idea.

Wincing through the burn Gail sprinted until she passed by her end point and stumbled to a stop and leant over to catch her breath.

Then her head snapped up as she heard a slow clapping.

"Asshole." She muttered before dropping her head back down and sucking in breaths.

"Is that any way to greet your favourite Instructor?" Jackson Wright, a forty-something year old Academy instructor asked with a smug grin as he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Gail looking like she'd been rolling around in the mud. He was a friend of her family and would take great pleasure sending that particular snap to Bill, Gail's dad. "You should clean up, you're supposed to be setting an example. What would your mother think?"

Gail lifted her head just enough to glare at him and then she spotted the phone and added her finger. He just barked out a laugh, took another picture and walked away. She put her head back down and when she could breathe normally again she straightened and headed for the gym building for a shower.

xxxxxxx

Turning off the shower Gail wrapped her towel around her body and ruffled her shortened hair. She was still getting used to the new length. Her mother hated it but it definitely had other benefits.

As she wandered into the changing area and over to her clothes laid out on the bench beside her locker she noted the time on the wall clock. She still had thirty minutes before the wakeup alarm was due to sound.

She smirked to herself as she started to dry off. She wondered how many hangovers would be evident among her class, and if the drill instructors would make them pay for it.

She crossed her fingers and hoped that they would, even if it meant she'd suffer alongside them.

Finally dressed Gail dumped her towels into the laundry bin then headed out of the gym block and back towards the dormitory. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, there was four floors, two for the male cadets and two for the females with individual rooms and shared common areas every few rooms. There was no kitchen though which meant Gail seriously lacked in her caffeine fix every morning until breakfast was served over in the main building at 7:45am each morning.

Which sucked. But in another few weeks it would all be over and she could live at her own pace once more.

Climbing up the stairs Gail quickly found her room and started pulling out her Academy gym gear, she'd used her own earlier but for classes they were all expected to dress in regulation clothes and gym was no different.

Picking up a bottle of water she had stored in her room Gail wandered along to her common room to wait for the alarm to go off. She needed to be on time for everything but showing up outside before the morning alarm would be pushing it even for a Peck.

As she walked through the door she spotted two of the other cadets already in there, but by the clothes each of them were wearing it looked like this was as far as they made it after getting back from the Penny last night.

Gail took a closer look and recognised Andy McNally sprawled along the couch and, well, she wasn't sure about the other female laying curled up on the floor. But it didn't really matter because the alarm was due to go off any second now.

Gail grinned, took a swallow of her water, and leaned back against the side wall to enjoy the show.

She glanced at the wall clock and…

There it goes.

She chuckled as Andy groan and shot up before grabbing her head in obvious pain.

"What is? Why?" Andy whimpered and slowly tried to take in her surroundings. She noticed Jen Luck trying to pull herself up from the floor.

That's when it hit her.

The Penny.

"Shit!" There had been so many drinks. She had no idea how she even managed to get back here.

Gail kept watch, she knew Andy looked to be seconds away from getting it but poor Jen was still too far gone.

Andy gasped and struggled to her feet. She paused when she saw Gail Peck stood there. "Oh God!" She groaned holding her head before starting to walk gingerly out of the room to find her own dorm room down the hall.

Gail shook her head as she left then she turned her attention to Luck who was still looking around in confusion. "You okay there Lucky?" She asked with a grin.

Jen didn't seem to hear Gail and just moved to lay down on the now empty couch.

"Yeah, let's see how well that works out for you." Gail muttered to herself as she wondered how their instructors would react to at least one of their cadets missing morning drill.

She didn't think it would go over well. Not for Jane anyway.

As Gail shook her head when the sound of snoring started to reach her ears, in walked Traci Nash looking very bright eyed and sober. And now Gail recalled that the dark skinned woman wasn't in the group that had shown up last night at the bar.

That made her frown because Traci and Andy had been pretty much inseparable since room assignment.

Traci saw the scene in front of her and gave Gail a look for not doing anything to help out Jen.

Gail shrugged at the look. "What?" She asked Traci. She wasn't anyone's babysitter, if the other cadets were going to go out drinking all night then it was on them if they weren't fit to function the next morning.

Traci ignored the blonde and went over and shook Jen's arm. "Hey, hey, Jen you need to get up. Jen!" Traci gave her a harder shake, this time not letting up until Jen tried to push her away.

But Traci was having none of it, instead she pulled at Jen's arm and forced her up from the couch.

"That's it up you go." Traci said to her but is soon became evident that Jen would struggle to make it to her dorm and get changed on her own.

She glanced towards Gail, her eyed demanding the blonde do something to help.

Gail grinned then stepped closer to the pair. She then poured out the rest of her water over Jen Luck's head.

Jen spluttered and tried to move her head out of the way but Gail had gripped her chin and she couldn't get away.

"What the fuck!" Jen demanded as it finally stopped and she wiped the excess off her face and glared at Gail. "Bitch." She swore at the blonde.

Gail just grinned and went back over to the wall and leaned back crossing her arms.

Traci only just kept from smirking. As annoyed by that little water shower as Jen might be it obviously woke the smaller woman up. "Okay, thank you for that Gail." She told the blonde before trying to coax Jen towards the hallway.

"Why are you _thanking_ her, didn't you see what she just did?" Jen asked Traci with wide eyes.

Gail shook her head as the pair disappeared down the hallway.

And then the warning alarm rang out and the sounds of cadets hurrying became clear as Gail just started to casually make her way along the corridor to head out for morning drill.

She didn't really care if anyone else failed to turn up.

xxxxxx

The warning bell gave everyone ten minutes to be dressed and in formation outside the gym block where their drill instructors would break them into groups for rotations at different activities. Anything from the assault course or a 10 mile hike, a hike that Gail had run part of already this morning, to the weight room or even the pool. It was all designed to improve the cadets overall fitness and by graduation every officer was meant to be in the best shape of their lives.

There was a minimal fitness requirement for entry into the Academy and there had been another test halfway through the training that cut the number of cadets by a third as they failed to meet target times in fitness and firearm drills.

Gail being a Peck was already top of the female cadets in those areas and almost all others.

Of course that didn't help in the making friends department but Gail wasn't bothered about that, whether the people in her class were fit to wear the uniform wasn't for her to decide, all Gail was interested in was giving her mother as little ammunition against her as possible.

She chuckled as bleary eyed cadets crowded the stairwell as they all left the building and started to form up outside the gym.

Instructors Cole Brickman and Jackson Wright were already waiting in the light rain as Gail stood in the second row sandwiched between Cadets Diaz and Sanchez. She didn't mind Chris even when he made it obvious he was attracted to her although everyone knew about his girlfriend back home, Denise something or other. Sanchez wasn't bad either, but she was quiet, here to get the job done and not bothered with gossiping about every other recruit like some of the other women. McNally for instance, stood in the front row by Nash and Epstein. She never shut up about how her father was a cop and she was going to be just as good if not better than him.

From what Gail knew about Officer McNally Senior, Andy wouldn't have far to go to better his achievements. For starters staying away from alcohol might be a good start.

Gail never liked the way Andy looked at her sometimes during class or at meal breaks. Like Gail was her main competition just because they both came from families of cops.

Gail snorted, remembering their first meeting and Andy's face lighting up when she found out Gail's parents were officers too. She'd thought that would somehow bond them during their training to follow in those footsteps. But then they'd started lessons, and one by one instructors had singled Gail out, mentioning her brother's achievements a few years earlier, telling her she had a lot to live up to, and then her parents were mentioned. Elaine Peck, the quickest rising female star in the Toronto police force, and her father's record of big arrests and successful undercover operations.

It had taken less than a few days all those months ago for Gail to find herself distanced from the rest of her classmates, talked and whispered about even now.

"My head's killing me." Chris muttered as they waited for the rest of their class to line up properly.

Gail hummed but kept her eyes forward.

"I hope they don't make us run." He continued.

Gail didn't care what they did. But given the option she personally wanted out of the rain. Even if it meant pool time.

"All right!" Jackson bellowed out. "Even this side, odd that side." He ordered the Cadets, and based on their year of birth they all found their place.

Jackson walked down his line, making eye contact and squaring up to anyone stupid enough to turn to face him. "Eyes forward Cadets!" He bellowed into Dov Epstein's ear making Gail bite her lip to keep from grinning as she stood in the opposite line with a great view to see the young guy flinch.

She was surprised he was still here and by the way the instructors went after him so were they. He was really skinny and small, and Gail had seen him more than once use an inhaler after he took part in self-defence training and after some drills.

Gail straightened her posture as Cole walked by her spot in the line. After going up and down their lines both instructors went back and stood out in front.

"Seeing as we have this fine weather today I thought we might as well go for a run." Jackson shouted. No one made a sound but inside, everyone was groaning. "Sound like fun?" He asked walking down his line again. "That's what I thought, so let's get to it. MOVE!"

And with that Jackson pointed and the cadets took off towards the hiking trail.

While none of the cadets that were left said anything out loud they all seemed to relax now that the other group had the trail to run.

Gail however didn't relax an inch, especially given the smirk growing on Instructor Cole's face.

"Well, you heard him, it's a nice day for a run so let's go." And with that he gestured to the exact same spot the other group had took off in.

Gail sighed but started along at the same pace as those around her.

"Shit." Chris muttered.

Gail scowled at him for talking as Cole jogged along with them.

"You know what kids?" Cole asked in a shout as the rain started falling heavier. "I think you need to pick it up, because if you don't beat Instructor Wright's group of rejects then all of you will be giving me push ups until after morning meal." He warned them.

And he was serious. It wouldn't be the first time that morning drill was extended as a punishment.

"Double shit." Chris ground out as they all responded and started running instead of jogging. The first group had a lead and now they were expected to not only catch up to them but beat them to the finish.

Gail didn't waste her breath on complaining instead she focused on her steps and her breathing. She needed to pace herself carefully given her earlier exertion. It still didn't take her long to work her way to the front of her group though and then she pushed the pace again. If her group didn't want to be going hungry they'd all just have to suck it up.

"That's it Peck, show these losers what it takes!" Cole called out.

Gail ground her teeth and ignored the snide remarks that comment caused some of her fellow cadets to make towards her.

She'd heard it all before anyway.

But if they didn't come in ahead of the other group it wouldn't be because of her.

She pushed her speed again as she saw the tail runner from Jackson's group only 20 meters or so in front of her.

And then someone was on her shoulder and she glanced across to see Diaz before he took off away from her followed by another from her group and then another.

She grinned as they were then mixing with the rest of the cadets.

Cole started running at her side. "You losing it Peck? Too much to drink at the Penny last night?" He asked with a smirk.

Oh. Someone had squealed.

Gail grinned back at him and continued to keep her pace.

Cole shook his head and started passing her with ease for someone almost twice her age. "See you when I see you then." He told her as he left her behind.

The Academy recruit record for the 10 mile run was 58 minutes and that was on a clear day without rain or mud and the runner had known beforehand that they'd be taking part so had the time to prepare.

Gail knew that because the record belonged to her brother Steve. A fact he mentioned endlessly much to her annoyance.

Her best time after almost five months was 1 hour 19 minutes.

She wasn't about to push so hard in the first few miles that she didn't have the energy to make a race of the last one.

Given the heavy breathing she was listening to all around her there was no way everyone was lasting the full ten miles anyway.

It looked likely that once more Gail would being taking her morning classes without her required dose of caffeine.

xxxxxx

Cadets from both groups started dropping like flies after the five mile mark.

The result was a forced march back towards the gym and push ups through morning meal.

Gail was miserable, but unlike her fellow cadets she kept her thoughts to herself. The grumbling she heard when their instructors were far enough away was annoying her more than the extra physical training.

That was how she had to look at this, not as a punishment, because she could have and would have finished the ten miles, but as extra training. They would be police officers in a few weeks, and none of them would dedicate this sort of time to their fitness. Not with full day shifts, night shifts, doubles, and having to put in the extra work of familiarising yourself with the patrol area of the division you get assigned to. Reading up on local criminals and high crime areas was work you had to do on your own time.

Being a police officer was not a 9 to 5 job, it was to commit to a certain way of living your life.

"Alright!" Jackson shouted suddenly as the cadets were in various stages of movement. "I declare you all unfit for purpose, you will all report back here at 6pm on the dot. Dismissed."

Again, Gail wasted no time as she snapped up to her feet and sprinted towards the shower block of the gym. If her times were right she'd just be able to get up to her room for her notebook and grab an energy bar she had up there before cutting across the compound to their classroom.

Gail skidded into the changing room and started pulling at her clothes, tossing them into the laundry bin before grabbing a fresh towel and getting into the first shower stall. She made quick work of washing herself down and stepped back out and wrapped the towel around her body as she headed for her locker. Luckily she still had a few Academy logo sweats and t-shirts in there. She was tying up the laces of her trainers just as the other female cadets started to filter in and take their own showers.

Apparently bitching about the run and missed breakfast was more important to them than ensuring they didn't turn up to their class late.

Gail shook her head as she heard Nash talking to Andy and Jen about who they thought might have spilled to their instructors that a large group of them had gone to the Penny last night.

From the narrow eyed suspicious looks she received from Luck and McNally on her way out, Gail figured her name was right up there on the list of suspects.

But it wasn't worth her time or effort to set any of them straight.

They could think what they wanted.

Gail couldn't afford to do anything outside the rules or get into any kind of trouble, so confronting them was out of the question.

Not with her mother watching her every move from the side lines.

xxxxxx

**AN/**

We'll catch up with Holly next chapter.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Holly grinned as Annie rested her head on the table in the café without even reaching for one of the menus as the three women took their seats for lunch.

"Someone's feeling delicate." Kelly stated with a smirk, chuckling when Annie just groaned.

"Why? Why did you guys let me get up there last night?" Annie asked.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I don't think you getting up and singing is the problem so much as the fact that Thomas filmed the whole thing." She pointed out as she browsed the menu in her hands.

Annie whimpered.

Holly smirked, enjoying her friend's misery. "Actually Kel, I think it was finding out the video had been posted all over the internet that's really the issue here."

Kelly chuckled.

Annie whipped her head up to scowl at her friend's.

A waitress came over to their table and the three women ordered their lunch before being left alone again.

"I'm surprised you made it, I thought for sure you'd stay in bed all day." Kelly commented to Annie as their drinks order was sat down in front of them.

Annie snorted before picking up her phone. "My parents called me, Drew somehow got a hold of some of the video and told them there might have been another reason for my divorcing Jeremy."

Kelly and Holly burst out laughing, guessing what Drew, Annie's younger brother, might have said to her parents.

"Your brother's just jealous because he wasn't invited last night." Kelly stated but she smiled because really, everyone hated Jeremy and only wanted Annie to be happy and away from the controlling ex-husband. And none more so than Drew. They had all had their doubts about the marriage but supported their friend until the first time he laid a hand on her after one of their many arguments.

Luckily Annie was smart enough not to listen to his apologies and with the help of her closest friends and her brother, who'd wanted to kill Jeremy, quickly filed for divorce after having her injuries documented and a police report filed.

Last night they had been out celebrating her marriage officially being at an end.

"Oh my god, did they believe him?" Holly asked as she watched Annie pout.

Annie sighed. "I'm not sure, I was ambushed this morning, they called really early and for some reason I picked up." She extended her bottom lip and gave Holly and Kelly a sad look. "I was too out of it to really get what they were saying but I remember them telling me they just wanted to be happy and that they could see I wasn't with Jeremy. They said I could tell them anything." She shook her head slowly given her headache. "I was so confused until Drew texted me later."

Holly had to hide her smile by taking a drink of her iced tea.

"I'm not sure you'd be any better with woman Annie, this one never seems to be able to hold down a relationship." Kelly pointed out as she gestured to Holly.

Annie took one look at Holly's indignant expression and giggled.

"Hey!" Holly wondered why they were now picking on her. "I'm not that bad." She refuted.

"Yes you are." Annie and Kelly both replied before laughing at each other.

Holly shook her head then smiled at the waitress, grateful to have their food placed down in front of them as it meant an end to the conversation.

Annie was the only one not working today, so Kelly and Holly quickly started eating knowing they'd have to leave within the hour.

After a few minutes Kelly let out a heavy sigh. "And I thought trying to find Holly a girlfriend was hard work, now I have to try finding dates for both of you." She said with mock disappointment.

Holly rolled her eyes.

Annie's eyes widened and she quickly picked up her phone again. "That reminds me, you know Scott sent me so many texts last night, said it was because I was never going to remember what happened after we left the first bar." She said, her eyes scrolling for a particular message. "Where is it, where is it?"

Holly took another sip of her drink and glanced at Kelly wondering if she had a clue what Annie was going on about but Kelly just shrugged.

"This about Nick?" Holly asked remembering Scott keeping an eye on him the whole time they were at The Black Penny last night before they moved on again.

Kelly chuckled as she remembered the fresh faced guy from last night. "I make a good pretend girlfriend don't I?" She asked her best friend as she fluttered her eyelashes.

Holly sighed, not wanting to feed her friends ego. "I don't know how Greg puts up with you." She muttered.

Kelly sent Holly a smug look at the mention of her husband. "Do you really want me to tell you?" She asked teasingly.

"Please don't." Holly replied quickly as she made a face, guessing Kelly was going to answer with something sexual that she really didn't want to think about when it came to any of her friends.

Kelly just laughed as she watched her friend blush.

"Ah, here it is!" Annie exclaimed finally lifting her head up from the screen of her phone. "Wait, who is Nick?" She asked glancing between the pair as their conversation made it past her own thoughts.

"No one." Holly insisted even as Kelly chuckled again.

Annie dismissed Holly's protest and focused on Kelly for an answer.

"Just some guy from the cop bar last night that tried to pick Holly up, like I said, I played girlfriend and he took the hint." Kelly explained.

Annie smirked and glanced back at Holly. "Well according to Scott, you weren't completely hopeless last night." She said holding up her cell phone. "Interrupted Holly hitting on some cute blonde girl. Wouldn't say if she got her number but smiled like she did."

Annie gave Holly a look after reading off Scott's text. "Care to explain?" She asked as Holly's blush deepened.

"What blonde?" Kelly asked, not remembering Holly talking to any women last night. Then she recalled Scott mentioning something about Holly needing to work on her moves. "Was this at the Penny or somewhere else? Where was I when this happened?"

Holly thought about the blonde from last night, she only wished she'd got the woman's number.

She sighed when it became clear her friends weren't going to let this go until they had some sort of answer.

"There was a blonde. But I didn't get her number." But she did get a free drink and the maybe of a second meeting.

Kelly frowned. "How did I miss that?"

Holly grinned. "You were too busy forcing this one up on stage." She informed Kelly.

"You going to see her again?" Annie asked softly. It had been a while since she had seen Holly smile like that while mentioning another woman, especially after only a very casual meeting.

Holly shrugged and tried to get back to her food, she had a lot of work to get back to and no idea how to find the blonde again. "We'll see."

Annie and Kelly shared a smile then went back to eating their own lunches.

There would be time later to interrogate Holly properly, and if she wasn't forthcoming they could try finding out what Scott knew.

xxxxxx

Finally back in the confines of her dorm room after a long and gruelling day, Gail fell back onto her bed wishing the aches in her muscles away. She sighed and closed her eyes, grateful for the stillness. She'd have to get up again soon to study but for right now this would do just fine.

But any thoughts of relaxing disappeared when her cell phone started to ring.

Scowling she shifted painfully around until she could reach the device sat on top of her bedside cabinet.

Another wave of exhaustion hit her as she saw the caller ID before answering the call.

"Hello mother."

"Gail darling, how are things?" Elaine Peck asked politely.

Gail shrugged and closed her eyes again as she settled back against her pillow. "Okay." She muttered.

"Just okay?"

Gail bit back a sigh. She wasn't sure why her mother was even asking, positive that the instructors here were giving her and her father daily reports. "It's good, things are good." She tried.

Her mother hummed and the rustle of papers came over the line. If Gail had to guess she figured her mother was still in her office. "Is there something wrong mother?" Gail asked as she failed to come up with a reason for her mother's call and Gail was too tired to play guessing games.

"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong?" Elaine asked before carrying on without giving Gail the chance to reply. "No dear, in fact things are going very well here. Your brother just got shortlisted for a high profile undercover operation. He should get the call tomorrow."

Gail felt numb suddenly. "That's great." She managed to reply, but she wasn't sure her mother even heard her.

"So I'm just informing you that he'll likely be away for your graduation but your father and I will be there of course. I'll send Steven your best wishes, and I'll speak to you again soon. Work hard and don't disappoint me." Elaine continued before ending the call.

"Yeah, that's… great." Gail mumbled before tossing the phone back onto the top on the cabinet.

She was happy for Steve, she was, but she was really going to miss having him there. Steve might have been a jerk growing up, but he was the only brother she had. He'd promised to take her out for a night of drinking and maybe a strip club or two in celebration of graduating from the Academy.

A night out to make up for the dinner her mother planned for her that would include other officers from headquarters. A table full of white shirts and family expectations. Gail was dreading that more than the actual awards ceremony and that was saying something considering she hated those with a passion.

But she was proud of her brother.

And a little worried for him. Not that she would let him know that. It wouldn't be good for her image. Besides, she knew whatever the assignment was Steve would have a partner to watch his back, and no one wanted to be responsible for being the one to let a Peck get injured on duty.

Elaine Peck could and would end careers for a lot less.

Rubbing her face to remove the sudden wetness at her eyes, Gail heaved herself up from her bed and over towards her desk where she already had her text book out ready to spend another few hours of note taking.

She sat down then clicked on the lamp.

_Crimes against the person _was the section they would start to go through tomorrow in class. It covered a lot of crimes from murder, robbery, assault to kidnapping, false imprisonment and crimes with intent. There was a further section to this that dealt with similar crimes against the person but included a sexual nature or were against good morals, which included gambling, child neglect, and crimes of an obscene matter.

Each section of criminal law would be proceeded by a number of case studies involving real crimes and describe what procedure was followed by the officers, what evidence was found, and what crimes were charged to the person or persons arrested. Sometimes court outcomes were included, especially if poor handling of the evidence resulted in something being inadmissible or if statements collected became conflicting between witness reports.

It was all very interesting but for an officer in training it became a very long list of technical issues.

They would be tested on their knowledge in the next two weeks once they had finished the manual and been given study time. Gail was looking forward to it knowing the exam would be structured in a way she was very familiar with given how her mother often tested her before she'd joined the Academy.

They'd be given a case report, minus a host of details and they would have to produce a report as if they were the first officer on scene. Describing step by step how they would handle the call out, whose statements they would take, if they would arrest anyone, and what charges that arrest could be made with. But from what Gail knew from her brother and her mother, it was the next part that often caught out the trainees, the part where you had to describe what else needed to be done, should child services be called, should you wait with the victim for a family member to arrive, should you insist that EMT's are called for an injury, should crime scene techs be called to gather vital evidence.

And then there was the trick scenario when the best option for the call out was to have the subjects talk it over and if they could both agree it was a misunderstanding then no charges would be made and case was over with a few notes and personal details taken for the officers records.

Gail opened a blank page on her notebook and started going over her text section by section. There wasn't anything new in the book, her mother had made her read it several times before, but the case studies might be, so she had that to look forward to.

Senior Officer Oliver Shaw of 15 Division had taken her on several rides during his shifts where he gave her words of wisdom on what real police work was all about. That it was the innocents and the communities that they represented that deserved every officer's respect and attention.

Oliver was great, not impressed by her last name or her connections, but her questions and her willingness to pay for coffee and doughnuts to make up for babysitting her when her mother made her visit the station.

Gail knew then that as much learning she could do from a book wouldn't be close to what she would learn from her Training Officer once she got her badge.

Oliver had complained that trainees were the scourge of any division but Gail was secretly hoping that when she got to that point that maybe she'd get lucky and he'd have had a change of heart.

With a quick glance at the time, Gail put her head down and got on with it, the quicker she was done the quicker she could sleep.

She had another four days left of hard work before she could afford to relax again.

xxxxxx

A blaring alarm woke Gail from her bed a few hours later.

Sleepily she struggled out of bed after glancing at the time, 4:50am, her alarm would have went off in ten minutes anyway. Not that that made it any better.

With a scowl at the continued ringing of the alarm Gail pulled on her sweats and a t-shirt with the Academy logo and Trainee written across the back she stumbled bare foot from her room and glanced up and down the hallway.

The lights were on making her wince and rub the sleep from her eyes.

Other heads were poking from rooms as everyone else wondered what was going on and thankfully the alarm finally stopped ringing out.

Just before Gail's foggy mind could come up with its own answer a female instructor, Kate Lincoln, came marching down the hallway, clipboard in hand.

"Bed checks, 5 minutes!" She bellowed out and then repeated the warning loudly at the other end of the hall.

Gail groaned and went back inside her room.

Bed checks.

Right.

Anyone found on the wrong floor would be reported, and in some cases if you were caught doing something inappropriate you risked being kicked out.

Gail yawned and stretched before shaking herself down and grabbing a bottle of water from her stash piled up in the corner of her room. After a drink she found a pair of socks and her gym shoes. If she was up anyway she might as well get ready for her workout. Only this time she was skipping cardo, she'd gotten enough of that yesterday.

No, today she'd go swim laps in the pool or head to the weight room.

With another tired yawn she ruffled her hair and then went back into the corridor and slid down the wall beside her door to wait on the bed check being done.

It was only then that she spotted McNally and Luck in what looked to be a heated conversation.

Lovers tiff?

Luck use all the tampons?

Someone wet the bed?

Gail snorted to herself at that last thought before glancing around for the rest of the cadets. Most everyone else was stood by their dorms, all dishevelled and sleepy. It made Gail glance back over to Andy, wondering why they were different.

Even Gail had been fast asleep when the alarm had gone off.

She blinked and glanced around again realising that there was a face missing.

Traci Nash was nowhere in sight.

Gail grunted at this discovery then focused back on the two women arguing. She couldn't really make out what they were saying though, being too far away.

"She's going to miss this!" Luck finally hissed loudly enough for Gail to overhear.

That seemed to confirm that Traci wasn't in her room or even on this floor. Gail hiked up an eyebrow. She didn't know the other cadet had it in her to break the rules like this.

Gail grinned and wondered if Nash would get kicked out. That would be one way to remove Gail's competition for Female Cadet of the Year.

But then she frowned wondering why Traci would risk her place so close to the end of training. They only had another couple of weeks and she was matching Gail step for step in most areas.

"Call her again!"

"I already tried that!" McNally countered as she ran her hand through her hair nervously.

"Shit!" Jen said as she saw Instructor Lincoln returning.

Gail saw her as well and stood up from her spot on the floor.

The instructor went from one room to the next and after a glance inside and a tick to her clipboard, sent cadets back to their beds for another hour or so before morning drills would get them back up.

Gail watched as the woman paused at Traci's room, glanced inside then glared at Andy who was stood at the next room door. Andy muttered something to the instructor but the older woman was having none of it and got up into Andy's face.

"If she'd not here by the time I'm done on this floor she goes on report, lie to me again and you can join her!" Lincoln yelled at McNally.

Gail would have laughed but the instructor quickly headed her way and she straightened as the woman looked into her room, muttered something then walked to the next room.

Blowing out a breath Gail relaxed and returned into her room. She didn't really want to head out to the gym with the rest of the floor watching her. She didn't need the comments or looks.

So she went over to her desk and closed over her text books and then went over to her phone to turn the alarm off. As she picked her phone up she saw a new text message. Her brother had sent it after midnight when she'd been sleeping.

_Penny. Friday. 8pm. _

She rolled her eyes but sent a reply that she'd be there. But she wasn't sure why he bothered, she was there every Friday, and Saturday and Sunday.

Deciding that she had given the rest of the cadets enough time to crawl back into their beds Gail wandered back out into the hallway. As she was closing her door she spotted Nash rushing over to where Andy was being harangued by the Instructor.

"Sorry, sorry!" Traci said as she almost ran into the pair in her hurry.

Lincoln told Andy to get back to her room then turned on Nash. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report you?" She ground out, her face set in anger.

Traci opened her mouth to give some sort of explanation but nothing came out as she stared at the instructor with wide eyes.

"Well, I'm waiting!" This time the threat was clear in Lincoln's voice.

If Traci didn't give her something even halfway believable then she was going to be written up for her absence during bed checks.

Gail could see the panic rising in Nash and wondered why the other cadet hadn't already figured out a convincing story to tell. Talk about stupid.

With a shake of her head Gail headed for the gym which meant passing the pair. As she got closer she glared at Traci.

"If you're done puking in the toilets I hope you cleaned the place up. If I get sick you're not going to like what I do to you Nash." She warned the dark skinned cadet as she passed them.

The instructor glanced from Gail to Traci then took a step back from the cadet. "Report to medical after drills." She told Nash before making a mark on her sheet and walking away in the other direction.

Traci stood there for a moment before looking down the hall after Gail but the blonde was gone.

Just then Andy poked her head back out of her room. "You okay?" She asked her friend.

Traci frowned. "I guess." She replied.

But she was clueless as to why Peck just covered for her.

And curious as to what it would cost her in the future.

xxxxx

**AN/**

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

It had been playing on Gail's mind, the reason for Traci Nash's late arrival during the bed check, so on Wednesday night Gail adjusted her alarm and woke up at 4am instead of 5am.

Her curiosity meant she ignored how tired she was, and slipped quietly out of bed after switching her alarm off.

Flicking on the light above the bed, dimmed for reading, Gail pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of her sweats before quietly exiting her room.

Padding along the hallway she came to Nash's room. She glanced around to make sure no one else was up and then gently turned the door handle. The dorm rooms could only be locked from the inside so the fact that it clicked open gave Gail all the answer she needed but she continued the movement and stuck her head in for a quick look.

It was empty.

The bed didn't even look slept in so there was little chance of Traci being in the restroom.

Frowning Gail eased the door closed again then made her way down towards the common room. Again it was empty, with no one sleeping off a hangover this time.

Confused Gail made her way back to her own room, pulling her tee over her head and tugging her sweats off before crawling back under her blanket. Whatever Traci had been up to the other night it seemed, from what Gail could tell, that she was still doing it.

Yawning, Gail reached up and turned off the light then tucked her arms around her pillow to get some more sleep, she'd try and figure out what the other woman was up to later.

xxxxx

Grateful that nothing happened to disturb her breakfast time today Gail quickly loaded her tray up with a bowl of cereal, two pieces of fruit, a bottle of chocolate milk and her prerequisite coffee.

She walked past other cadets, gathered around talking about the weekend coming up, some worrying about tomorrows physical and Dov Epstein with his flash cards.

She rolled her eyes at that one as she took her seat at the same table as Jackson, Cole and some of the other instructors that were around to supervise the cadets. The rest of the instructors had morning meal while the cadets were on drills.

"Eating light today?" Jackson asked as he glanced at Gail's tray.

Gail scowled at him and bit into her apple as she stirred a couple of sugar packets into her coffee.

"Looking forward to tomorrow?" Cole asked with a grin as he finished up his own breakfast.

Gail shrugged, it wouldn't pay to sound overly confident but she wasn't the least bit worried about running a faster time over the assault course. It was their final physical evaluation and although they would still have morning drills, she was looking forward to having it over with, then maybe she'd allow herself to slack off slightly and not put in the extra training she'd been forcing on herself since her arrival.

Fuck did she hate exercising.

She understood the need for it and was willing to keep herself in shape for the job, but she didn't have to like it or do it with a smile.

"You guys taking bets?" Gail asked quietly even though the table she was at was a distance from the rest of the tables where the other cadets were scattered around.

"We sure are." Cole told her, shooting her a grin. "Out of the guys, Diaz and Lopez are joint top with Epstein looking a safe bet to come last." He explained. "Then there's you and Nash with Lisa Todd taking the rear."

Gail snorted and swallowed down more of her cereal.

Jackson looked the blonde over, his eyes twinkling. "Not worried about your competition are you?" He asked her referring to Traci Nash.

Gail shrugged trying to act nonchalant. "Guess you guys will have to wait for tomorrow to find out, but I'd bet on me if I were you." She informed them.

"Your old man already has." Jackson told her. "Five hundred. Cleaned up with your brother, I guess he's hoping for a double, but I don't know." He shook his head then gestured over to where Traci was having breakfast. "My money's on her."

Gail narrowed her eyes at the instructor but he just laughed.

Cole stood up with his empty tray and pointed to Gail. "My money is on you Peck, it's in the genes right. Don't disappoint now." He told her with a mildly warning look on his face as he walked away.

Gail glared after him then sighed and went back to her food.

Jackson watched the blonde for a few minutes as he finished his coffee.

"You know we're just joking around, right?" He asked her quietly.

Gail shrugged and popped a grape into her mouth. "He really bet five hundred on me to win?" She asked softly. She hadn't spoken to her dad much since she started the Academy. But of course she knew he'd be aware of how she was doing and when the final physical assessment was due.

"Sure, he knows you've got what it takes." Jackson replied. He then glanced around at the rest of the cadets. "It's surprising how many good officers will be stationed in divisions this year. You're graduating with a good group."

"Hm." Gail didn't feel any added pressure she already knew what was expected of her. She just had to do everything she could to live up to it. And so far so good.

"27 got 5 rookies last round so they'll only get one or two joining them this time, the largest group will be going to 15 with you." He explained.

"Know who yet?" Gail inquired curiously. She already guessed Nash unless 27 wanted her, then there was McNally. Diaz out of the guys and maybe his buddy Samuels who was doing well as were Lopez, Rodgers and Collins.

Jackson grinned. "Got a preference?"

Gail looked over her shoulder. Other than drills and some other physical training she really only knew that the rest of the cadets were good enough to still be here, beyond that she couldn't give her opinion one way or the other. "Nope." She answered, because whoever followed her to 15, she assumed they'd deserve to be there with her.

"Well, from next week the real training begins anyway, I'm sure you'll soon have something to say about them after that." He told her with a smirk before putting his rubbish back onto his tray and getting up.

"I'll see you at the start line tomorrow." He told her before leaving her to finish her breakfast in relative peace.

Gail hummed and took another look around at the rest of her class.

Next week was the start of their final preparations for becoming police officers.

When the textbooks were put away and their learning was put into practise. They'd be paired up each day with a different partner and have to properly learn how to be a cop. They'd go through how to clear a house, how to make arrests, deal with crowd control, how to subdue suspects with the use of your baton or pepper spray, and when to deploy your stung gun.

They'd been going through firearm training since the first week so that wouldn't be anything new.

Also, they'd get the chance to attend seminars with specialists brought in to teach them certain skill sets using case studies and mock scenarios to go through step by step how to deal with hostage taking, securing a scene properly, looking for signs of abuse during a routine call out.

Those classes would be where cadets were given a taste of what it would be like to progress further than being a police officer, they'd get to talk to detectives from different areas, hear about undercover work, dealing with confidential informants, the intelligence side of policing and a host of other factors that combined together to form police work.

And as much as Gail was looking forward to the change of pace the last thing she wanted out of it was for anyone to get any idea as to where she wanted the direction of her career to go. So the quieter she was during those lectures the better.

It was bad enough listening to her mother's constant opinions on what she thought she should be doing with her life.

xxxxx

"What's with you?" Andy asked Traci as the other woman failed to react to a joke told at their table as they settled down for anther class.

Traci tore her gaze away from the blonde sat in the front row. "Huh? What?"

Andy shook her head and opened her notebook as they waited for their instructor to turn up.

Traci gave her friend an apologetic look. "Sorry, it's just, Peck. I don't get her." She muttered quietly.

Andy glanced at the blonde in question. "What's to get?" Gail seemed to be the golden girl, even if Traci was giving her a run for her money. Always had the right answer when asked, always on time, always a pain in the ass know-it-all.

Traci shrugged. She hadn't told Andy that Gail had covered for her with Instructor Lincoln the other morning. She wasn't sure why the blonde had done it, and she wasn't sure how to ask knowing Gail could be very brutal when dealing with the other cadets.

"Hey, you guys up for the Penny again this weekend?" Dov asked as he turned around from the row in front of Andy.

"Sure." Andy agree quickly.

Dov grinned and leaned on their desk. "Some of the others got invited over to 27's bar, but the Penny was pretty cool. Maybe we could do both?" They got the weekends to themselves mostly, other than a class on Saturday morning and they were allow out of Academy grounds as long as they made it back for midnight curfew.

During the week they sometimes had an evening class scheduled and although it wasn't a rule, it was encouraged that they all remain on Academy grounds Monday to Friday.

"I don't know, I think I'm going to see my mom and get some study in. We have that exam next week." Traci said, unsure if it was worth giving up the study time just for a few drink at a bar, even if that bar was a cop bar.

Andy rolled her eyes but kept quiet knowing the real reason Traci was so hesitant.

Dov mock gasped. "But, but… you didn't come last weekend! You have to come out with us this time." He insisted. "And anyway, we all know you're going to ace that exam."

Traci glanced back at Gail. She wasn't sure she'd beat the blonde's mark, but she was going to be as ready as she could be. And if that meant skipping out on a few games of pool and some beer then so be it.

She needed to graduate and secure a good division. Her family was depending on it.

"Maybe some other time." She told Dov.

Dov sighed and looked to Andy. "What about you?"

Andy shrugged. She wasn't going to spend her time with her dad that was for sure. "Count me in."

"Awesome." Dov grinned. It was looking like it was going to be another good weekend.

Traci rolled her eyes. "Now turn around and face forward before you get us all in trouble." She told Dov as he kept leaning on their desk.

Dov put his hands up and smiled at them before turning back around in his seat and leaving them alone.

The instructor came in and everyone fell silent as he started writing on the board up front.

"You seeing Dex?" Andy asked in a whisper.

Traci scowled, she hadn't spoken to her ex in weeks. He'd hated the idea of her joining the police force and had tried talking her out of it several times, but if he couldn't hold down a job one of them had to and as far as Traci could tell this was her best option if she didn't want to be waiting tables forever or working the till at her local store.

"No." She muttered back.

Andy made an encouraging noise. She was glad to hear that, she might not have met the guy but from everything her friend had told her he sounded like a loser. And one that was constantly trying to bring Traci down with him. She was proud that the other woman was so dedicated to their training.

If they both got lucky they might even get into the same division.

xxxxx

Holly snorted as she read the email she had just got sent to her from her boss.

"There is no way in hell." She muttered in annoyance as she hit a couple of key then pushed her chair back sending her along the floor to another desk where she waited for the printer to finish. She then grabbed the sheet of paper and got up, marching out of her office and along the corridor.

She pushed through a door and climbed up the steps to the next floor before walking along another corridor and stopping in an open doorway.

She gave the wood a cursory knock with her fist before walking in a slamming the sheet down in front of her boss.

"There is no how, no way I'm doing this." Holly said with a glower, tapping her forefinger down onto the sheet.

Kelly sighed and gestured for Holly to sit down in her guest seat as she was still having a conversation on her phone.

Holly huffed and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest and continuing to scowl at her so-called best friend and boss.

Kelly tried hard not to laugh. "Yeah, listen, can I call you back? Something's just come to my attention here that I need to deal with urgently." She said into the phone. "Thanks, bye."

Holly watched her boss hang up and the second she did she put her hands up to forestall any of Kelly's games. "I don't care what you offer there is no way I'm doing this."

Kelly smiled and leaned across her desk and just waited her friend out. "You did just say that you needed to get out of the lab more often Hol."

Holly scoffed and shook her head. "I meant after work and you know it." She answered back.

"It will be one day next week, and I'm even going let you pick out your own case material." Kelly explained, making it sound like she was doing Holly a really big favour with that one.

Holly laughed, seeing right through her friend. "The answer's still no. I have no interest in trying to explain my job to a bunch of idiots who think they know better."

Kelly gave her friend a reproachfully look for that last comment.

Holly sighed and took off her glasses to rub her eyes.

Kelly glanced at the sheet Holly had sat down. "It is one day of your time to teach a group of individuals on what it takes to properly preserve a crime scene. I know how much you hate poor handling of evidence." She said, trying to appeal to her friend's pet peeve.

Groaning, Holly pouted and closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she slouched down in her chair.

Kelly grinned knowing she was close to getting her way.

"You go over the theory with them in the morning and walk them through a scenario that you set up in the afternoon. Just think of all the shouting you can do when they inevitably screw it up." Kelly told her with a grin.

Holly blew out a breath and sat up properly again, trying to stay professional despite her reservations. "You're buying me lunch today. And tomorrow."

Kelly snorted. "Is that all this is going to cost me? Done, I'll forward you the rest of the information."

Holly glanced to the side and chewed on her lip as she considered her options. She didn't completely hate the idea of doing it but she knew whatever she said was likely to go in one ear and out the other. She'd seen proof of it enough times on the job.

"How exactly am I supposed to explain our work in just one day?" You couldn't, it wasn't possible. Holly had studied and then trained for years to do this job and here she was being told to encompass it all into one lecture and a single demonstration?

Kelly's eyebrows shot up. "I can get you more time if you need it."

Holly didn't reply. She'd already talked herself into doing this when she'd been trying to talk herself out of it. She wasn't sure making it into a two day course was a successful outcome for this meeting.

Kelly took in her scowling friend with a grin. Holly loved her job and she was great with the interns. If anyone could condense the basics of their work into a day then it was Holly.

"You'll do great I know it." She encouraged her friend.

Holly's mind was already racing away with topics to cover. She sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll do it."

She then narrowed her eyes at her friend as she yelped in shuffled in her seat in some sort of victory dance.

"But it'll cost you big this time." She warned Kelly.

Kelly shrugged. "Name it."

Holly snorted and go up from the chair, she still had a lot of paperwork to get done for a case she was working on, and now she had this to prepare for.

So much for getting out of her lab more often.

"Oh no, when I've come up with something evil and disgusting enough, I'll let you know." She said as she headed back out the open door.

"You do that!" Kelly called out after her friend.

She shook her head then lifted up the sheet Holly had left behind. She was grateful Holly had been so easy to convince because if Holly had refused then she would have had to have taken the class.

And as much as she'd argued with Holly, it was really like talking to yourself.

Police cadets just wanted to learn about driving fast cars and firing their guns. It would take months of on the job training from senior officers before they'd learn how to properly take care of a crime scene, and even then there would be lots of screw ups.

But Holly was the best their lab had to offer and if she couldn't make them sit up and pay attention then no one could.

xxxxxx

**AN/**

Hey guys! Another episode over with. It was okay I guess. Gail still makes me all sad inside though.

So let's hear it for fanfiction!

Thanks for reading :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

The morning alarm didn't go off on Friday morning like it usually did but Gail was still wide awake in her room. Currently she was bent over her desk reading through a weapons manual. She had plans for the gun range tomorrow as they didn't have a class this weekend either.

It almost felt strange after being on such a strict schedule these last few months but just as the cadets were getting ready to finish their training they were also given less work to do.

It was the general consensus among the instructors that by this stage every cadet was ready for life as a police officer but their last round of classes would be focus driven on demonstrating exactly what they would be facing out there on the streets every day. And that this insight would then carry over into what you are taught by your training officer for the next six months after graduation.

If you lasted that long.

Not every person that joined the Police Academy made it to graduation, and not every police graduate made it to the end of their probation.

Some people just weren't cut out of the demands of police work. Either you didn't have the ability to adapt and train and learn while at the academy or you falter when you're put into real-life incidents. Big things like firing your weapon at another living breathing person with the intent to kill because that's what the situation called for, or it was a build-up of the little stuff, the domestic abuse, working scenes with decedents, or the constant stream of regulars, the drunks, the druggies, and the prostitutes.

Then there was the getting spit on and harassed while just trying to do your job.

That was never the picture any cadet gives of what it'll be like when they get their badge. It's always about catching dealers, or trafficker, or searching for lost children, and catching the criminals.

The bad guys.

Gail snorted as she closed her book over. She knew exactly what her time as a rookie will entail, she'd been learning everything about police work for as long as she could remember.

It was what Peck's did after all.

What her brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had done.

Before they moved off the beat and into the role of Detective. Although that wasn't that end, not for Peck's. Peck's had to be the best, be the most successful, and rise first amongst their peers at their Division.

Steve had, he'd made Detective rotation a year after joining 15.

Therefore Gail had a lot to live up to, she was meant to stand out from the moment she joined the Academy, be better than every other cadet in training, she was supposed to have an edge over all of them. Not because she was a Peck and it was expected but because she'd been training for this her entire life.

She didn't go to summer camps as a teenager, she'd gone to boot camps aimed at transforming delinquents with juvenile records. She hadn't played games during road trips she'd been told to memorise the route so she could not only pinpoint her location whenever her mother asked but also return home if she ever found herself abandoned with no money to pay for transport.

Which had happened several times after her mother informed her to get out and be back by dinner.

She'd hated that game in particular, especially after it happened during a trip to the family cabin and she'd been scared when a car of college boys had pulled over by her on the side of the road and offered to take her with them. At 15 she hadn't been stupid enough to agree but the car had followed alongside her for a good ten minutes with her steadfastly ignoring their comments until they'd driven off calling her names.

She'd stayed off the road after that and cried the rest of the way to the cabin. But she never told anyone about what had happened, not even her brother. She'd just wiped her face on her sleeve and marched up to her room calling out that she wasn't hungry.

Her mother's only comment had been that Gail had taken longer than she'd thought to walk the distance home.

That might have been the day she had started to truly hate everything her mother put her through in the name of preparing her for following in the family footsteps.

The warning bell sounded.

Sitting there Gail wondered what it would have been like to do something with her life that _she_ had wanted.

After completing her Political Science degree, a course her mother had chosen, she'd spent the best part of two years travelling around Europe. Her trip had meant to last no longer than three months according to her mother's career schedule for her. But Gail had gotten lost in the smells and the people and the laughter. She'd gone from village to village and then towns and cities, working occasionally in a café or bar, never really a part of the people or culture around her but an avid spectator. She'd learned several languages and developed a fondness for tequila and afternoon naps as well as an ability to discern bullshitters after only a few seconds of conversation.

The work she did, when she could be bothered to stay in one place long enough, never covered more than her accommodation, mostly she had lived off of her parents money. And that had been how Elaine had finally gotten her to return home, a heated phone call that ended with Gail being informed that her bank accounts would be frozen if she wasn't back in Toronto in a week.

And reluctantly Gail had given in, knowing the war with her mother was one she had no ability to win, not if she wanted to remain part of the family. She'd thought about it of course, about disappearing in one of the many cities she'd spent time in. No one there knew anything about her, she could have got lost so easily. Maybe she was a coward for returning. It was the easy optional after all, to just meekly accept her place and do as she was told.

Gail stood up feeling the weight of her expectation settle oppressively once more as she started making her way, alongside a few other stragglers, to take her place in the formation line for her turn at the assault course.

She glared as rain darkened her clothes and soaked through her training outfit before she'd even made it to the gym block.

Jackson and Cole were already there waiting, sadistic grins on their faces as they both knew given the conditions the assault course was going to be risky at best if you wanted to get around safely, but for anyone serious about their time it could be downright lethal.

They'd be lucky if they didn't drown in puddles while trying to get through the crawl net. The incline bars were five feet off the ground and the bars were spaced 30 inches apart and brought you down to one foot off the ground before the height increased again as you made your way along the bars going from one to the next, changing height and the tension of your grip on the bars. If you slipped you fell into a trench of water and mud. The zip line would claim victims as well no doubt, there were no wrist bindings to help you keep your grip so falling was fairly certain given the rain.

Gail was just going to hope not to fall on her feet and brake anything.

Jackson blew his whistle and called out a pair of names as other instructors lingered behind him and Cole. The course was 2 miles long and you were expected to sprint between obstacles, instructors would be stationed at each one along the course and would note down any mistakes, 15 seconds was added to the cadet's course time for each mistake they made. That was how you failed, not because you ran the course slowly, but because you had too many penalties added to your finish time.

"Next in line, Peck and Epstein!" Cole shouted out.

Gail took a breath and walked to the line-up. As she took her place beside Dov Epstein she looked back at the group still waiting to find out their place in the ordering. Traci Nash caught her eye and Gail stared at the dark skinned woman carefully for a long moment. The other woman gave her a subtle nod just before her name was called and she moved to the back of the line beside Lopez.

Gail frowned to herself having no idea what that had just been about. And she still hadn't figured out where Nash was disappearing to each night. She made a few general comments to Chris Diaz about female cadets mixing on his floor but he'd just blushed at her and told her that kind of thing was against the rules. His best friend Samuels had offered his opinion that she was welcome in his room anytime.

She just rolled her eyes at him and went back to her note taking.

"Okay, let's go boys and girls, we haven't got all day!" Jackson shouted out now that everyone was in the right place for running the course. They'd run it pairs, one boy and one girl when they could, that was to show the male cadet that not all women would be easy to catch and to show the females that while you may not be as built or as athletic as some guys you still need to be able to chase down your suspect. And given the ratio of male to female criminals, the female cadets just had to suck it up and deal with it.

The cadets were marched along the side of the gym building towards the starting point of the assault course.

Gail sighed and took a few moments to focus as the first pair were sent out. Two minutes later the next pair were sent running, and then the next, until Gail and Dov were stood at the line.

As the rain lashed down on her, flattening her hair to her head, Gail eyed Dov as her breathing slowed and she altered her balance to lean slightly over her dominant foot, sinking it into the muddy ground. He glared back at her then almost mirrored her position before facing out into the woodlands. They could see the first obstacle in sight, the up and under bars, and beyond that a 50 foot net wall you had to climb up, over and back down without tangling yourself up in it too much. After that came a balance beam over water, and then a crawl tunnel.

Gail wasn't entirely sure of the merit of the assault course when you compared it to the type of chasing you would do to catch a running criminal in downtown Toronto but you never knew. Mostly she assumed it was just to torture the cadets at the academy.

Because she knew for a fact, Officer Shaw wouldn't have a hope in hell of completing this course if he were stood beside her today.

Gail grinned to herself imagining Oliver in place of Dov. That would be something to see, the old timers up against their rookies. Maybe once she was at 15 Division she could see where that idea got her. Desk duty probably. Or put on the lunch run for a week.

"And go!" Jackson called out in her ear.

And with that she pushed off and ran as hard and fast as she could. There wasn't a thought in her mind now except what was directly in front of her, as far as she was concerned she'd left Epstein at the start line and the race was just about her and the clock.

And her father's five hundred dollars.

xxxxxx

"I don't know, it was weird, like, was Traci even trying?"

That was Jen Luck's voice and it made Gail scrub the muck and dirt off her skin all the quicker.

"I know, right!"

McNally this time.

Gail had to seriously wonder if those two ever went somewhere separately. She didn't care, but she really hoped they were sleeping together otherwise she just didn't understand women at all.

Like at _all_.

She could still hear them mumbling to each other but they'd thankfully stepped into their own showers and the sound of the water drowned out most of what they were saying.

Gail gave her hair a final rinse and then turned off her shower, wrapping her towel around her body before stepping out of the stall and heading for her locker. She didn't see the point in drying her hair it would only get wet again as she left the gym to return to the dorms. There was a few other cadets in the locker room but no one really paid her any attention as she made her way over to the bench by her locker. She pulled out a clean set of Academy issue clothes and set them on the bench beside her as she started drying off.

She had to wonder though what the girls meant about Traci. And if it had anything to do with that wink she had given Gail. Or had the other woman been looking at someone else and Gail was just overthinking it?

Gail was facing her locker dressed in sweats and her bra, pulling a t-shirt over her head, when a finger poked at her shoulder. It made her still then continued pulling on the top before she stood and turned around with a scowl on her face.

Of course it was Luck poking at her, McNally had more sense.

"What?" She barked at the smaller woman.

Jen rolled her eyes as she adjusted the towel around her body. "What time did you make?" She asked.

Gail made a face. She had no idea what her time for the course was, all their times would be posted on the notice board by the lunch room just like the last two times they had to do the course.

Jen sighed. "Your instructor buddy not tell you?"

Gail clenched her jaw and stared back at Jen. "No." No she didn't get to know anything about her times or grades before anyone else. Despite her last name she actually didn't get any preferential treatment from the instructors.

Not that any of the other cadets actually believed that.

Jen shook her head and turned to open her locker as she dropped the towel and started to dress. Andy just stood there watching Gail awkwardly. Eventually Andy just offered Gail a smile and then turned to her own locker.

Gail narrowed her eyes at the pair then picked up her dirty clothes and took them over to the laundry bin and dumped them before leaving the room.

She walked along the corridor and around to the entrance to the building. Chris Diaz was stood there waiting and he smiled brightly at her as she approached.

"It's still raining out there." He told her.

Gail leaned her head out and saw that it was. The rain was coming down heavier now than it had been earlier. She was grateful for that because she'd made three mistakes on the course as it was, if the rain had been like it was now she probably would have made more.

"Hey, did you hear?" Chris asked her as he lowered his voice and glanced behind them to check if there was anyone else around.

"What?" She asked him. She hadn't heard about anything. Not that the other cadets gossiped with her.

Chris gave her a wide grin. "Word is that after lunch we won't have any classes."

She already knew that part so she frowned at him. They had study time this afternoon but it wasn't supervised so they could stay in their rooms if they wanted to.

Chris' face lit up and he dipped his head a little closer to Gail's making her feel a little uncomfortable.

"Dov overheared Brock and Rutherford saying they were glad they didn't have to stick around this weekend." Chris explained.

Gail tilted her head and tried to remember who the two instructors were and why not sticking around would be important.

Chris caught on to why Gail didn't get the significance of what he'd just told her and rushed to clue her in. "They monitor the guys dorms."

Like Instructor Lincoln did on Gail's floor.

"Oh."

"Yeah, right!" Chris replied as he all but jumped up and down with excitement. "Dov thinks we're going to get the weekend off. No curfew." He added needlessly.

Gail blinked and thought it through. She couldn't really remember Steve saying anything like that happening while he'd been here but couldn't. But then, why would he? What guy would tell his kid sister if he spent the weekend getting drunk and trying to pull girls with a bunch of other cadets blowing off steam for a night in town?

"Cool right?" Chris said looking at the blonde.

Gail shrugged. "Yeah." And she guessed it was in a way. If you had your own place to crash at and weren't living at home still, with a mother who would be more concerned with why Gail wasn't using the time at the academy to run the assault course or using the firing range or just in her dorm studying.

Yeah. No.

Not a chance in hell Gail was staying anywhere this weekend but in her dorm room. It wasn't worth the lecture.

"Oh, there's Dov." Chris said, spotting his friend heading over from behind Gail. "You want to join us at lunch?" He asked Gail tentatively. "Aaron and a couple of the girls will be there two." He added through a blush as Gail stared at him.

And then Dov was stood there making her feel awkward.

She turned and walked out into the rain, not bothering to rush her steps as she made her way back over to the dorm building.

She wouldn't be having lunch with them, it would be too weird and today was already weird enough.

And then it did get weirder.

Not only had Chris been right about having no curfew on Saturday they didn't have one tonight either. In actual fact they had been given the weekend off. Everyone had passed the assault course and were in the last stage of their training.

It was a reward apparently.

When Jackson had told everyone during lunch there had been a big cheer around the whole room.

And then the placed had buzzed with everyone discussing what they were going to get up to.

Gail just looked around at everyone. They acted like they'd just been told Christmas was real. Seriously, they were getting a night or two off. Big deal.

Gail put another spoonful of yogurt into her mouth and eyed the instructors. She wondered at their grins and as she watched she saw money changing hands and had to wonder.

Was that to do with the assault course results or something else?

Or was she just getting too suspicious of people now.

Cole caught her gaze and smiled at her, shaking some money about before winking at her and tucking it away.

So maybe she'd just made her dad's bet. She smiled to herself and went back to her food. Better it be about her father betting on her time than something else.

xxxxx

**AN/**

Gail seriously has to try and make a friend at the academy, do you know how hard it is to write with no dialogue? It's annoying.

Well thanks for reading.

Next chapter we have Steve and Holly! Woohoo!


End file.
